Dave Matthews Thinks Metalheads Drink a Lot and are Ugly

Dave Matthews — spokesman for khaki-short-wearing, sandals-over-socks-donning, Polo-shirt-sporting dude-bros America over — is not exactly known for his savage riffs, pummeling blast beats and guttural vocals. But in a recent interview with Vulture’s David Marchese, the jam band hero revealed an affinity for metal — and some interesting thoughts about its fans — that made us chuckle, cry and snort all at the same time.

To be fair, when Matthews namechecks “heavy metal” he probably means AC/DC — perhaps Guns N’ Roses, or Metallica at the absolute heaviest — and not Pig Destroyer or Portal. Still, there’s something about knowing that the guy who once dumped 800 pounds of human waste off a bridge onto some unsuspecting boat tourists also enjoys a sick riff from time to time that tickles me with delight.

Here’s how Matthews responded when asked about the musical box that his fans are typically put inside:

“A lot of people — you included — seem to have serious extra-musical feelings about the Dave Matthews Band. How much of a hindrance is that?

“Yeah, it used to be “If you like Nirvana you can’t like the Dave Matthews Band”; “If you like Pearl Jam you can’t like the Dave Matthews Band.” But if I can like all those bands as much as I do, then why can’t someone else? I guess we all have our tribe and you’re not supposed to be in more than one. I remember the Miles Davis quote when he’s asked, “What kind of music do you like?”

“And he answers, “Good music is good music.”

“Good music, yeah. I love some country music because there’s great country music. I love some heavy metal because there’s great heavy metal. Someone is going to have brilliance inside of whatever box they’re in. That brilliance is what I look for. There’s great every kind of music just like there’s great every kind of liquor.”

Dave, as he’s colloquially known, added this when asked about his fans’ alcohol intake at shows:

“Given what you’ve said about drinking, is it at all weird to spend your summers getting up in front of crowds where you know a bunch of people are absolutely loaded?

“There’s probably not as much drinking at our shows as there are at heavy-metal shows — and our crowds are probably better looking! But yeah, you see the most hammered people in the world from the stage. There’s a lot of revelry around me. I’ve reined a lot of mine in over the years.”

And there you have it: metalheads drink a lot and are ugly! If only we still had Jon Stewart around to help us process the avalanche of emotions I’m currently feeling:

You can read the rest of the Vulture interview with Dave Matthews right here.